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Jack Yonezuka will represent the U.S. at the Olympics as a 73-kilogram fighter. The 21-year-old will be the youngest member of Team USA's judo squad.
Yonezuka qualified for the Summer Games after the International Judo Federation's world championships in Abu Dhabi in May.
"Firstly, I want to start by thanking everyone who has helped me become the athlete I am today and everyone who has been a part of my journey," Yonezuka wrote in an Instagram post. "I don’t want to count anyone out, but y’all know exactly who you are and I really appreciate everyone’s support. Becoming an Olympian has been a dream and goal of mine ever since I was a child."
Nick Yonezuka, who's Jack's father, made Team USA before the 1980 Summer Olympics but he didn't compete due to the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games. His grandfather Yoshisada Yonezuka was a two-time Olympic coach who ran Cranford Judo JKC, a dojo in Union County.
Jack thanked his family for helping him make it to the Olympics.
"Growing up, I was inspired by my father who was an Olympian and I wanted to follow in his footsteps," he wrote. "As a child, I endured many hardships and suffered many injuries. I broke my shoulder when I was 11 years old which was the most severe of them all. I also suffered from anxiety as a kid. My shoulder injury put me out of judo for six months.
"During this time as a young kid, I took some time to reflect on everything. I realized how much I missed the sport and I realized how badly I wanted to become champion."
Yonezuka was the first American to win two medals at the Junior World Championships, capturing bronze in 2022 and silver in 2023. He won his first World Tour medal by bringing home bronze at the Upper Austria Grand Prix.
Yonezuka said he bounced back after losing his first six events of the Olympic qualification cycle.
"If you had asked me two years ago if I had any chance to qualify for Paris 2024, the answer would’ve been no," he wrote. "But I couldn’t accept that. I hate losing and I worked my absolute hardest after those losses to finally get my first wins on the world tour. Now I will be one of the youngest male judoka competing in the Paris Olympic Games."
Yonezuka will fight in the 73-kilogram weight class at the Olympics on Monday, July 29.
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